But the borough doesn’t want to order a second round of Dumpsters if residents can get their insurance companies to pay for the cost.
By: Linda Seida
STOCKTON Where are the Dumpsters?
That’s what residents of flood-ravaged Mill Street asked Stockton’s mayor and Borough Council Monday night.
Ruined appliances, furniture and other debris line the road.
"There’s a ton of refrigerators on the street," said Leslie Yerkes, who lives on Mill Street.
Almost a month after the flood, Mill Street is "the only street that still looks like a war zone," Councilman Neal Esposito acknowledged.
"A lot of it has been there for weeks," Ms. Yerkes said. "It’s starting to get pretty nasty."
While the town provided plenty of Dumpsters in the first two weeks after the flood, officials now are hesitant to spend tax dollars for something they say is covered by residents’ flood insurance.
If Stockton pays for more Dumpsters now, officials said residents would end up paying for them twice: first through their insurance premiums and again through their tax dollars. They urged residents to confirm coverage with their insurance carrier.
Mayor Rackin called it "foolish" to pay for something with tax dollars when it’s already covered by insurance.
"If it’s covered through private insurance or FEMA, we can’t put that burden on the taxpayers," he said.
However, the mayor and other members of council agreed with Councilman Andrew Giannattasio, who said, "If there’s no way to pay for it, we’ll get it covered."
Mayor Rackin said, "If it is our responsibility, we’ll meet it."
First, however, the mayor and council members said they intend to talk to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to find out what kind of help is forthcoming from that agency.
The Dumpsters are priced at $175 each, but the price would rise to about $500 each when the cost of dumping the debris is factored in, according to Mayor Rackin.
Normally the dumping fee is applied to a Dumpster that holds a weight of 5 tons, he said, but "Ours have been coming in at 8."
The town has been in price negotiations with Raritan Valley Trash Haulers.
Ms. Yerkes told the council, "I think people on the street need to hear what’s happening. There are just piles and piles sitting there."
Still, Ms. Yerkes kept her sense of humor.
"We were thinking now would be a good time to have the tax assessor come to Mill Street," she said, drawing laughter from neighbors and officials.
While the president’s disaster declaration, announced April 19, opened the way for aid to businesses and residents, no such aid is forthcoming for municipalities at this point. Municipalities were excluded from the declaration.
Stockton incurred $9.5 million in damage to private and public property, according to Nic Messina, the council president.
"It’s a tremendous blow and a burden to Stockton," Mayor Rackin said. "We have to find a way to pay for the municipal liability. It’s pretty extensive."
Forty families in the borough were displaced by the flood, including 13 on Mill Street. Most have returned to their homes, but six houses on Mill Street remain "structurally compromised," according to the mayor.
Greg and MaryAnn Cook live on Mill Street. In addition to being a victim of the flood, Mr. Cook is coordinator of the town’s Office of Emergency Management. Their family moved back into their house a week ago and just got heat back Sunday, Mrs. Cook said.
The town’s park was "completely destroyed" by a breach in the Delaware and Raritan Canal’s barrier wall, Mayor Rackin said. The park is closed and locked to visitors now. Even a council discussion about allowing schoolchildren to plant a tree there in honor of Arbor Day was cut short because of liability concerns.
The opening in the canal wall leaves the borough at risk for the possibility of more flooding in the future until it is repaired. The gap has been temporarily filled with large boulders and rocks, but a permanent repair has not been made.
The flood of 1955 breached the wall in a similar way, according to Mr. Esposito.
"There’s talk of the Army Corps of Engineers putting new concrete siding on," he said. "It’s very possible they’re going to come up with something."
Although flood-related debris remains on Mill Street, regular household garbage continues to be removed. The debris lining the street isn’t a health problem, according to Mayor Rackin.
The Hunterdon County Department of Health "has advised us we’re in good standing," Mayor Rackin said.
Despite the mess in the street and the upheaval to their lives, Mrs. Cook said Stockton is a good place to be, with neighbor helping neighbor.
In her family’s time of need, they simply asked, "What can I do for you?"
"It’s people washing your clothes," Mrs. Cook said. "It’s people making you food. It’s people making you drinks. It’s people taking your animals."